Free Republic

From your ancient baseball history, 1949 to be specific, a little story: In his third major league season, a still very young Yogi Berra has been the target of much veteran needling. Part of it has been due to his squat, homely appearance. But sometimes it has nothing to do with his appearance and everything to do with continuing the young man’s baseball education. Berra has impressed his manager, coaches, and teammates alike with his willingness to listen, learn, listen more, and learn more, but never mind. One fine day he lofts a short pop to center field that falls...

Here in Rhode Island, where I was brought up and still spend my summers, it’s not so much Democrats vs. Republicans or haves and have-nots. Rhode Islanders are divided pretty evenly between whether you are a Red Sox fan or a Yankee fan. For Red Sox fans, this past weekend has been an unmitigated disaster, as the Yankees, mostly recovered from debilitating injuries, faced an obviously dispirited Red Sox team with its team captain and on-field leader on the bench, injured. Two hapless catchers, Lopez and Mirabelli, have been trying to spell the irreplaceable and scrappy Jason Varitek, but have...